


Breakthrough

by Rose_of_Pollux



Series: Inktober for Writers, 2019 [17]
Category: Perfect Strangers
Genre: F/M, Gen, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 11:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21073991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: [Based off of episode 6x17] In which Balki, Jennifer, and Mary Anne struggle to help an amnesiac Larry remember himself--and them.





	Breakthrough

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: this was inspired by today’s Inktober prompt (“ornament”) and is based off of episode 6x17, “Speak, Memory.” The episode ended unresolved, with Larry having lost his memories again, so this is my resolution for it.

Being unable to remember anything was a terrifying experience, Larry decided. He couldn’t sleep—not because of the headache that had started again, but because he simply could not relax, knowing absolutely nothing. The other man who had suggested he sleep—his cousin, as he’d been informed—had seemed to be pushed to his emotional limits, which had prompted Larry to leave him be. Larry hadn’t gotten much from him before he had broken down—only that this was, apparently, the fourth time Larry’s memory had lapsed that day, and, not knowing what to say to comfort the cousin he couldn’t remember, Larry decided to turn in, hoping that sleep would, somehow, help to restore his lost memories.

But sleep was a distant thing when his mind was too busy trying to recall what it had lost—and all in vain, it seemed. Even if he got his memories back, it was likely that they would slip away again.

He got up, heading for the door of the room when he heard a knock on the apartment door. He hesitated at the door of the bedroom—he wouldn’t have remembered anyone at the door, anyway…

His cousin now answered the front door, admitting two blonde women inside—one was in a stylish black dress, and the other was in a flight attendant’s uniform.

“Hi, Jennifer. Hi, Mary Anne,” his cousin said.

“Hi, Balki,” Mary Anne replied, kissing him in greeting. “How’s Larry doing?”

“Mary Anne’s flight came in just after I’d dropped Mother off at the airport,” Jennifer explained. “I filled her in on the way home.”

“It sounds like an awful day for all of you,” Mary Anne added.

“It’s not over yet,” Balki sighed.

A look of pure dread crossed Jennifer’s face.

“He… He didn’t lose his memories _again_, did he!?”

“Just after you left,” Balki said, with a teary nod. “It’s lasting longer this time, and I don’ know what to _do_, I…” He choked back a sob. “The doctor says Cousin Larry will get his memories back for good eventually, but… I don’t know anymore—what if he is wrong!?”

“Balki, that can’t be!” Mary Anne said. “The real Larry has to be in there somewhere—we just have to help him find himself!”

“I tried!” Balki exclaimed. “I tried and I tried, and every time I find him, I lose him again! It’s all just…” He trailed off in a language that Larry couldn’t remember, but it was clear what he was trying to convey.

Jennifer, who had been quiet all this time, sat, listlessly, on the couch as she glanced at the ring on her left hand.

“I can’t believe this. This is a nightmare!” she suddenly cried.

“Jennifer, you and Balki both need to calm down—” Mary Anne began.

“Calm down!? How can I calm down!?” Jennifer retorted. “The man I love doesn’t even remember my name! During dinner, he called me _Jessica_!”

“Yes, you told me what a disaster dinner was,” Mary Anne said. “But it wasn’t as though he was thinking of someone else named Jessica—he was thinking only of you!”

“What’s there for him to think about?” Jennifer asked, blinking back tears. “You know, of all the ways I thought I could lose his love, this wasn’t one of them.”

“Oh, Jennifer…” Balki sighed. “You have lost your true love, and Mary Anne and I have lost our best friend…”

“What!? No, we haven’t!” Mary Anne pointed out. “Come on, you two! I told you, the real Larry is still in there! That means that he still loves us—with or without his memories!”

Still listening behind his bedroom door, Larry didn’t know what to think. Guilt was gnawing at him—he was bringing such pain to people he apparently loved, even though it was through no fault of his own. But perhaps Mary Anne was right—if he was feeling this guilty over causing them so much distress, didn’t that mean that he loved them?

“Do you really think so, Mary Anne?” Balki asked.

“Yes, of course!” she exclaimed. “Balki, even without his memories, Larry trusts you. Without his memories, he shouldn’t know who to trust, but he’s willing to stay here with you, even if he can’t remember that you’re his cousin. And Jennifer… When Larry was out there at that restaurant, did he even so much as glance at another woman, even if he couldn’t remember you?”

“…No, he didn’t,” Jennifer realized. “He was completely focused on me and trying to make a good impression on Mother. …He must’ve been so hurt and confused, and all he could think about was me.”

“And he was depending on me for help, just like how I always depend on him,” Balki added, quietly.

“You see?” Mary Anne asked. “We just need to keep at it—he’s sure to get his memories back for good. What have you been doing the other times?”

“Telling him stories about himself—where he’s from, his work at the Chronicle, all of his quirks…” Balki said.

“Okay, that’s a good start—what else?”

“…That’s all I’m usually able to manage before I break down,” Balki confessed, his voice breaking again.

“It’s okay; we can help now,” Mary Anne said, as she and Jennifer each placed a hand on Balki’s shoulder. “Stories are good, but you need to give him things to look at—things he can hold and feel. All of the senses play a role in memory—the greatest of all being olfaction.”

Balki and Jennifer gave her a blank look.

“…I took biology in college, remember?” she explained. “Okay, now what can we do to help spark his other senses?”

“Well, um… Before this whole thing started, Cousin Larry tried my honey-glazed chicken,” Balki said. “He liked it… until I told him about the yak bile.”

“Well, okay, he doesn’t have to taste it; just smelling it should help,” Mary Anne said, as Jennifer’s expression became momentarily unreadable. “Heat some of it up.”

“He won’ be able to smell it now; he’s sleeping.”

“No, he isn’t,” Larry said, finally opening the bedroom door.

“Cousin!” Balki exclaimed. He moved to hug him, but paused. “…How are you?”

“Still can’t remember anything,” Larry sighed. “Look, I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize just how upset I was making you all… This is a lot harder on you than it is on me. you don’t have to keep doing this; I can try and figure things out on my own.”

“No, Cousin—we want you to get better, and we will do whatever we can to help,” Balki insisted.

“That’s right,” Jennifer said, through a shaky voice. “No matter what we’re going through now, it’ll be worth it if it means you’ll come back to us.”

“And we’ve got a lot of things to try,” Mary Anne finished. She walked over and took Larry by the hand, leading him to the couch, where all four of them sat.

“But… what happens if none of them work and… I don’t come back?” Larry asked. He glanced at Jennifer, and then at the ring she was wearing, as though trying to remember giving it to her.

“Then… Then we’ll help you start over with new memories,” she promised, her voice still a little shaky.

“That’s right,” Balki agreed. “You would not abandon us; we won’t abandon you, either.” He glanced at Mary Anne, who indicated the kitchen. Realizing what she was trying to do, Balki got up. “I’ll get you something to eat, Cousin.”

“Thanks…” Larry replied, glumly, as Mary Anne went over with Balki to get the chicken ready, along with some other foods.

Jennifer hesitated for a moment, but then rested her head on Larry’s shoulder like she usually did. Physically, he seemed exactly the same as always, though she knew that, mentally, he was in a very vulnerable place right now.

Slowly, he drew an arm around her, which prompted her to snuggle in further; she gripped his arm, as though wanting to make sure he wasn’t going to slip away from her again.

Balki and Mary Anne soon returned with the chicken and some other things to eat; the scents of the foods were comforting indeed. They certainly _felt_ like home, even if Larry wasn’t entirely sure what home was anymore.

Mary Anne now brought out the photo album, and soon, she, Balki, and Jennifer began to reminisce as they paged through the pictures. Larry listened intently to their every word as he stared at each picture. They had certainly been through a lot; it was soon quite clear why they were so invested in trying to get him to remember—all of the stories, good and bad, seemed to have only brought them closer together.

Larry’s emotions were mixed; he was on the verge of pulling together bits and pieces of his life from everything they were saying, but he hadn’t been able to actually remember anything on his own. Still, he was in a much better spot than before this session.

It was nearly one in the morning when the stories began to be punctuated by a series of yawns.

“We’ve made definite progress,” Mary Anne said, pleased. “I’m sure that if we keep this up, tomorrow, we’ll make even more. But Larry needs to sleep; it can only help everything sink in overnight.”

“Well, even if it doesn’t, thank you so much for trying,” Larry sighed. “We’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

Mary Anne nodded and kissed Balki goodnight before standing up.

Larry glanced back at Jennifer, who was looking up at him expectantly, still sitting with her hand gripping his arm. Shyly, he leaned over and kissed her goodnight, as well.

It was as they kissed that a hazy image came to his mind—a different apartment, sparsely decorated with a wreath and a few Christmas ornaments, and Jennifer, standing there in the doorway…

He suddenly pulled back from the kiss, staring at her.

“Larry?” she asked, concerned.

“…Mistletoe…” he said, after a moment.

The others looked around, baffled, trying to find the mistletoe that Larry seemed to be referring to.

“No, not here…” he said, still staring at Jennifer. “Another apartment… And you and I kissed there… under the mistletoe.”

Balki and Mary Anne exchanged glances as Jennifer now placed her hands on the sides of Larry’s face.

“Larry!” she said, in hushed excitement. “You remembered our first kiss!”

“I… I did…?”

She nodded, tears of joy springing to her eyes.

“And you remembered without any prompting from us!” Balki realized aloud.

“It’s a breakthrough!” Mary Anne exclaimed, happily.

Larry found himself swept up in a joyous group hug; there was something wonderfully familiar about the feeling.

Any sleepiness the others had now temporarily vanished, as they wanted to ride the wave of the breakthrough. Balki and the girls were soon running around, gathering significant objects to hand to Larry in the hopes of sparking more memories—two trophies, books, his lucky pen… Balki even pulled the tapestry that had been hanging on the wall in Larry’s room and handed it to him; Larry had seen the tapestry when he had gone to rest, but, actually holding it, he was beginning to recollect its significance.

“You made this for me…?”

“Yes!”

It was another two hours before exhaustion claimed them all, but in those two hours, more memories had awakened, subsequently awakening others.

Morning found Larry waking up on the couch, surrounded by the others, who were still asleep. Someone—Balki, no doubt—had put the tapestry over him like a blanket. Balki himself was facing away from him, face planted in the arm of the left side of the couch; it must have been terribly uncomfortable, and yet, he was snoring away.

_…He’s probably been in even more uncomfortable sleeping positions when tending the sheep on Mypos_, Larry mused. He then froze—he _remembered_ that!?

He looked to his right. On the other end of the couch was Mary Anne, still in her uniform, her arm draped over the couch arm in an attempt to reach for her travel bag; sleep had claimed her before she could’ve even touched it. Between Mary Anne and him was Jennifer, still using his shoulder as a pillow; still asleep, she was slowly pulling the tapestry off of him and onto her, and Larry realized in amusement that he would have to learn to live with nightly rounds of blanket thievery once they got married. He didn’t mind the idea at all.

He was content to stay where he was, relishing being able to recall his memories once again. Between being able to use all of his senses and then being able to sleep, he was hopeful (a rare feeling for him) that, this time, he had everything back for good this time.

Jennifer stirred after some time, waking up. She gave Larry a sheepish smile as she realized that she’d stolen the tapestry from him.

“Good morning,” she said, softly, so as not to disturb Balki and Mary Anne.

“Good morning. …Don’t I know you from somewhere…? …Kidding! I’m just kidding!” he added, hastily, as he saw the look on her face.

She smacked him on the shoulder with a throw pillow before hugging him in relief.

He hugged her back, and they stayed like that until Balki and then Mary Anne awoke, equally relieved and thrilled that Larry had all of his memories back—hopefully to stay this time.

“Balki… Jen… Mary Anne…” It was almost overwhelming, being able to know and speak their names again. “Thank you… Even if it was temporary, thank you for looking after me when I needed it and never giving up on getting my memories back. I owe you guys _so much_…”

“Cousin, on Mypos, there are no debts between family members,” Balki insisted, drawing an arm around him.

“Or between people as close as family,” Mary Anne added. “…Well, I mean here, between us.”

“They’re right, Larry,” Jennifer agreed. “We help each other out. It’s why you have so many memories worth remembering.”

They were all right, of course—had it been one of them stricken with amnesia, he’d have been right alongside the others trying to help them remember.

How ironic; he had initially come to Chicago to enjoy the bliss of solitude and experience living alone for the first time in his life. He got to enjoy it for all of two weeks before Balki had turned up on his doorstep. And not even half a year later, they’d crossed paths with Jennifer and Mary Anne for the first time.

And now, with his memories back, he knew that there would soon be more memorable moments to add to them, on account of the others. That was so much more fulfilling than living alone could ever have been.


End file.
